Omaha daily bee., 1887-03-30
Wanted, a National Ant h e IN.


We have been singing the English ma
tional anthem, God Save the Queen"
for half century. On Our centennial
birthday, when the stroke of midnight
ashered in the 1st of January, 1876. we
fired guns, rang bells, kindled bontires,
and throughout the length and breadth
of the land we sang our national hymn to
the music of God Save the Queen" be-.
cause that tune is called America" Z"
While we were celebrating the one hun
dredth anniversary of our freedom from
the British yoke. we were shouting the
British national air, God Save the
Queen" from Name to California.
The cause Of this ridiculou blunder
can be easily explained. In 1886 Bos-
ton music pu blsher issued collection of
psalm tunes called "tke Boston Acad-
emy,' and on page 22O of this mongrel
collection is tune called America, Ma
tional Hymn" This tune is measure for
measure and note for note the English
neSns sy%n bs kog originally knowa
"God Save the Queen when Victoria as
cended the throne. on June 20, 1887
Why the Boston publisher allowed the
committee who compiled it to introduce
this English national melody into the
collection and call it America, National
Hymn" is problem that no student
will ever solve; but the fact that it is go
published ia the "Boston Academy" and
in many other catchpenny musical pub
lications since, has led some ignorant
Americans to regard it as the national
air of America.
George w. Morgan, the English organ.
ist, has composed Transcription and
Variations on God Save the Queen" I"
which for the past thirty years he has
played at his organ concerts in almost
every city in the union, always announc-
ing it in his programmes as God Save
the Queen" This fact in itself, one
would suppose, ought to teach Americans
that the tune which they sing and call
America Is the British national anthem.
Or do they think the British stole the
hymn from us? 1t is attributed to DIR.
John Bull, organist of Queen Elizabeth 8
chapel. About the period of the dis.
covery of the gunpowder plot, he COM
posed and played it on a small organ be.
fore the king; calling it God Save Great
James Our ,! King" 1t was published for
before we drove the British from our
shores. There was a time when it was
the national air of this country. but when
our independence was achieved
it ceased to serve that function,
until in 1886 it was published in Boston
as America. National Hymn" II our
national airs, Hail Columbia, the Star
Spangled Banner, and the Red, White
and Blue are not grand enough for state
pirate foreign national air as our own,
let us take the noble old Marseillaise
from the French who were our allies in
the Revolution. and not make ourselves
supremely ridiculous by singing, as we
did in 1875, the English national anthem
while celebrating our crOwning victory
over the English.
When the New York Schutzen Corps
visited Germany in 1885, ,,. and were re.
Fourth of July, they sang the music Of
God Save the Queen, which in Germany
and in fact all through Europe, is known
rs the English national hymn, and is the
only tune which brings every Briton to
his feet and causes him to uncover
Again. when James q. Blaine was nomi
mated In Chicago, the Associated press
announced that ''the nomination was
made unanimous and the band played
when Grover Cleveland was nominated
"thc nomination was made unanimous
and the band played America" and
thus we entwine the British nationel all
into our great political events.
| In view of this lamentable state oi
facts, we suggest that the next congress
should rectify this egregiOus absurdity
by offering a liberal reward for the best
national anthem, the merit OF it to be de-
termined by competent musical tribu-
Queen" because the HBoston Academy
| called it America" and we have sung
1t for more than halt century. VIZ
don't care TO continue singing it any
longer.
As people we are old enough, rict
enough, and musical enough to have ,
national hymn of our own. No such CO
lossal fraud has ever been practiced or
any country since the earth was made al
this. perpetratcd by the Boston publisher
and compilers, when they publicly stole
and inserted in their books the aoceptee
English athem, God Save tho Queen,
and called it America. National Hymn.
The "Stay.At. Home" Vote.
NeW York Herald.
L.